WPL 2027 will be played from January 14 to February 7, 2027, giving women’s cricket fans another major franchise tournament early in the new year. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also scheduled the player auction for October 28, 2026, in Kochi, while the five franchises have to complete their player retention process by September 28, 2026.

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The upcoming season will be the fifth edition of the Women’s Premier League, which began in 2023. The tournament has become an important part of India’s domestic and international women’s cricket calendar, bringing Indian and overseas players together in a franchise-based T20 competition.

WPL 2027 Schedule

The WPL 2027 season will begin on January 14 and run until February 7. The January-February window places the tournament at the beginning of the 2027 cricket calendar.

The BCCI has confirmed the tournament dates and the key player-management deadlines. However, the official list of host cities for the 2027 season had not been announced as of September 16, 2026.

Mumbai and Vadodara are among the cities associated with the previous edition, but the final venue list for WPL 2027 will depend on the BCCI’s official announcement.

Player Retention Deadline

Before the auction takes place, the five WPL franchises will have to finalise the players they want to retain.

The retention deadline has been fixed for September 28, 2026. Retention allows franchises to keep selected players from their existing squads before entering the auction process.

The retention stage is an important part of building a team because franchises have to decide which players will remain part of their squad and which positions may need to be filled during the auction.

WPL 2027 Auction in Kochi

The WPL 2027 auction is scheduled for October 28, 2026, in Kochi.

The auction will give the five franchises an opportunity to strengthen their squads by signing available players. The process can include Indian and overseas cricketers who are eligible for selection under the league’s rules.

Player auctions have become a major part of franchise cricket because teams use them to build balanced squads with a combination of experienced players, young talent, specialist batters, bowlers and all-rounders.

The auction will take place more than two months before the start of the tournament, giving franchises time to prepare their squads for the new season.

Five Franchises in the League

WPL 2027 will feature five franchises, continuing the league structure established when the competition began in 2023.

The five-team format allows the tournament to bring together some of the leading women cricketers from India and overseas while providing opportunities for emerging domestic players.

The league is operated under the administration of the BCCI, which oversees the competition’s schedule, player auction, franchise regulations and other major tournament arrangements. The BCCI’s official records also show continued investment in WPL-related operations, including player auctions and franchise activities.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru as Defending Champions

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will enter WPL 2027 as the defending champions after winning the 2026 edition.

The defending champions will have the opportunity to begin the new season with a squad-building process that includes the retention window and auction. Other franchises will also be looking to make changes to their squads before the January 2027 tournament.

The final squads will depend on the players retained by each franchise and the choices made during the Kochi auction.

Growth of Women’s Franchise Cricket

The WPL was launched in 2023 as a dedicated women’s franchise T20 competition in India. Since then, the tournament has provided a regular platform for Indian players to compete alongside international cricketers.

Franchise leagues can provide players with experience in high-pressure T20 matches, while also creating opportunities for young domestic cricketers to play alongside established international names.

The league has also become part of a wider expansion of women’s cricket in India. The BCCI’s domestic calendar for 2026-27 includes competitions across several age groups and formats in women’s cricket, showing the broader structure supporting women’s cricket alongside the WPL.

A Busy 2027 Cricket Calendar

The WPL 2027 dates fall within a busy period for Indian cricket. The BCCI’s announced international home schedule shows that Zimbabwe will tour India for three ODIs from January 3 to January 9, 2027. India is also scheduled to host Australia for a five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy beginning January 21, 2027.

This means the early months of 2027 will feature several major cricket events in India. The WPL will add a women’s franchise competition to that wider cricket calendar.

The international women’s cricket calendar will also have a major event in February 2027. The inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held in Mumbai and Vadodara from February 14 to February 28, immediately after the planned WPL window.

Mumbai and Vadodara in the Women’s Cricket Calendar

Mumbai and Vadodara are particularly important to the upcoming women’s cricket schedule. They were among the cities used during the previous WPL edition, while the ICC has confirmed them as the host cities for the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in February 2027.

The WPL 2027 host cities, however, remain subject to the BCCI’s official announcement. Until the schedule is formally released, any reports about particular cities should be treated as possible venues rather than confirmed hosts.

Preparing for the Fifth Edition

With the dates now set, attention will turn to the retention deadline and player auction. The September 28 retention deadline will be the first major squad-building stage, followed by the Kochi auction on October 28.

Once the squads are finalised, teams will have several weeks to prepare for the January 14 start. Training camps, player combinations and overseas recruitment will become important parts of preparations as franchises build their teams for the fifth season.

The WPL 2027 season is therefore set to bring another round of women’s T20 cricket to India, with the tournament scheduled to run from January 14 to February 7 and the player auction already fixed for October 28, 2026.